AAMC PREview Professional Readiness Exam — US Medical School Guide

The AAMC PREview exam is a situational judgment test (SJT) administered by the AAMC that assesses the personal and professional competencies described in the AAMC Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students. Required by approximately 30 MD programs, PREview uses 30 multiple-choice scenarios scored on a 1-9 scale and transmitted via AMCAS. This guide covers format, scoring, prep strategy, and how PREview differs from CASPer.

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Scenarios

75 min

Test time

Multiple choice

Response format

1-9

Score scale

What is AAMC PREview?

AAMC PREview (Professional Readiness Exam) is a situational judgment test developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) — the same body that administers the MCAT, AMCAS, and the AAMC MSAR. Unlike the MCAT, which assesses academic readiness, PREview specifically targets the non-cognitive attributes the AAMC has identified as essential for entering medical students: professionalism, teamwork, ethical judgment, cultural competence, and resilience.

Each of the 30 scenarios presents a text-based situation typical of pre-medical or early medical training — a team conflict, a difficult patient interaction, an observed ethical lapse, or an interpersonal challenge. Rather than asking "what would you do?", PREview asks you to rank the provided response options from most effective to least effective. Your rankings are scored against what AAMC-trained medical education experts determined were the optimal responses.

PREview was piloted starting in 2021 and has been formally adopted by a growing number of MD programs. Scores are transmitted directly through AMCAS with the rest of your application materials.

Key distinction from CASPer: PREview is AAMC-administered, uses multiple-choice ranking (not typed text), and aligns explicitly with the AAMC Core Competencies framework. CASPer is administered by a third party (Altus/Acuity Insights) and uses open-ended typed responses. Different schools require one, the other, or both.

AAMC Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students

PREview is built around the AAMC Core Competencies framework. Understanding these competencies is the most substantive preparation you can do for the exam.

Thinking and Reasoning

Critical ThinkingQuantitative ReasoningScientific InquiryWritten Communication

Science

Living SystemsHuman Behavior

Interpersonal

Service OrientationSocial SkillsCultural CompetenceTeamworkOral Communication

Intrapersonal

Ethical Responsibility to Self and OthersReliability and DependabilityResilience and AdaptabilityCapacity for Improvement

Source: AAMC Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students (aamc.org). The Interpersonal and Intrapersonal competencies are most directly tested by PREview scenarios. Download the official document from the AAMC website for the full competency descriptions.

AAMC PREview preparation strategy

1. Read the AAMC Core Competencies document

This is the most important preparation step. Download the AAMC Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students document from aamc.org. Read the definitions and descriptions for each Interpersonal and Intrapersonal competency — particularly Service Orientation, Cultural Competence, Teamwork, Oral Communication, Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others, and Reliability and Dependability. PREview scenarios are written to probe these specific constructs. Knowing what the AAMC considers "effective" behaviour in these domains helps you align your rankings with the scoring key.

2. Use official AAMC PREview practice questions

The AAMC publishes official practice questions for PREview through the AAMC store (aamc.org/students/applying/preview). These are the only practice materials written by the same organisation and scored against the same framework. Third-party practice materials may not accurately reflect the AAMC's response-effectiveness hierarchy — use them for familiarisation, not calibration.

3. Understand the rank-choice logic

PREview does not ask "what would you do?" — it asks you to rank all provided responses from most to least effective. This requires a different mindset than typical SJTs. You must distinguish between responses that are good (but not optimal), neutral, and harmful — and order them accordingly. The AAMC is not looking for the single best action; it is looking for whether you can correctly differentiate the hierarchy of professional appropriateness. Practise articulating why you rank each response as you do.

4. Review professional behaviour research

PREview scenarios draw on real-world research about professional behaviour in medical contexts. Reading about communication in healthcare, professionalism in medical training (e.g. Goldberg et al. on medical professionalism; ACGME competencies), and cultural humility in clinical settings will build a robust conceptual framework for evaluating scenarios. The NEJM and Academic Medicine publish accessible articles on these topics.

5. Complete the test tutorial

The AAMC provides a tutorial at the start of the PREview exam. Review this before your test date on the PREview testing site. Understand the interface for rank-ordering responses — on test day you want to spend your cognitive energy on the scenarios, not the mechanics of the platform.

US medical schools requiring AAMC PREview

The following list reflects schools known to require AAMC PREview as of the 2025-2026 cycle. School participation changes annually. Verify current requirements on the AAMC PREview participating schools page at aamc.org and each school's admissions page.

University of Michigan Medical School

University of Minnesota Medical School

University of Iowa Carver COM

Wake Forest School of Medicine

University of Rochester School of Medicine

University of Colorado SOM

Oregon Health & Science University SOM

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Indiana University School of Medicine

University of Nebraska Medical Center COM

University of Kansas School of Medicine

University of Oklahoma COM

University of Utah School of Medicine

University of Wisconsin School of Medicine

University of Illinois COM

Rush Medical College

Loyola Stritch School of Medicine

Medical College of Wisconsin

Tulane University School of Medicine

Louisiana State University SOM (New Orleans)

LSU SOM Shreveport

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences COM

University of Missouri School of Medicine

University of North Dakota SOM

South Dakota State University — Sanford SOM

University of Vermont Larner COM

Central Michigan University COM

Oakland University William Beaumont SOM

Wayne State University School of Medicine

University of Hawaii John A. Burns SOM

Source: AAMC PREview participating schools page (aamc.org). List is representative — confirm current requirements with each school before registering.

Common AAMC PREview scenario themes

Clinical professionalism

Appropriate conduct in clinical settings — maintaining patient confidentiality, navigating hierarchy, handling errors, supporting colleagues.

Teamwork and collaboration

Effective participation in team settings — contributing constructively, addressing team dysfunction, supporting struggling team members.

Ethics and integrity

Informed consent, truth-telling, resource allocation, professional obligations when observing misconduct.

Cultural humility

Respectful care across cultural, linguistic, and religious differences — including assumptions, stereotyping, and accommodation.

Resilience and self-care

Recognising and responding appropriately to personal stress, burnout, impairment — in yourself or colleagues.

Communication and feedback

Delivering and receiving feedback, navigating difficult conversations, supporting patients and families under stress.

AAMC PREview vs CASPer — key differences

Feature	AAMC PREview	CASPer
Administrator	AAMC (same body as AMCAS)	Altus Assessments / Acuity Insights
Format	Multiple-choice rank ordering	Open-ended typed text
Sections/scenarios	30 scenarios	14 sections
Time	75 min	~90-110 min
Scoring	1-9 scaled score	Quartile (Q1-Q4)
Framework	AAMC Core Competencies (explicit)	Altus professional readiness criteria
Score transmission	Via AMCAS	Direct to schools (separate from AMCAS)
Required by	~30 MD programs	30+ MD, most DO programs
Typing speed	Not relevant	50+ WPM recommended

See the full CASPer guide at /us/interviews/casper.

Common AAMC PREview mistakes

Overthinking individual responses. PREview scenarios are designed to have a defensible correct hierarchy. Applicants who over-analyse and doubt their initial instincts often perform worse than those who quickly apply the Core Competencies framework. Trust your ethics preparation — if you have studied the AAMC competencies, your initial ranking is often closer to the scoring key than a second-guessed revision.
Ignoring the AAMC Core Competencies. PREview is explicitly built on the AAMC Core Competencies framework. Preparing using generic "ethics" knowledge without reading the AAMC document means you may be optimising for a different standard than what the exam uses. Read the official document.
Confusing "what I would do" with "what is most effective". PREview asks you to evaluate effectiveness — not what you personally would do. Some responses you would personally choose might not rank highest by AAMC's criteria; some responses you would not personally choose might be ranked above alternatives. Evaluate responses on the basis of professional best practice, not personal preference.
Using only third-party prep materials. Third-party PREview prep materials vary widely in accuracy relative to AAMC's actual scoring criteria. Official AAMC practice questions are the only materials guaranteed to reflect the real exam's response hierarchy. Use third-party materials for additional practice volume — not as your primary calibration source.
Leaving too little time for prep. Because PREview requires understanding a specific conceptual framework (AAMC Core Competencies), cramming the night before is ineffective. Meaningful preparation requires reading, reflection, and practising ranking scenarios over at least a week. Schedule your exam with adequate lead time to prepare properly.

Frequently asked questions

The AAMC PREview Professional Readiness Exam is a situational judgment test (SJT) developed and administered by the AAMC to assess professional readiness in pre-medical applicants. Unlike the MCAT, which tests academic competency, PREview assesses the personal and professional competencies described in the AAMC Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students. The exam consists of 30 scenarios with multiple-choice responses that require you to rank the effectiveness of different response options.

PREview uses a 1-9 scaled score based on your alignment with a pre-defined "ideal" response pattern established through research with medical education experts. Your responses are scored against what experts determined were the most and least effective responses to each scenario. The score is reported as a single number from 1 (lowest) to 9 (highest) and is transmitted directly to medical schools through AMCAS.

Take PREview before the schools you are applying to require it — typically before or shortly after submitting your primary AMCAS application. PREview is available year-round; scores are reported to schools via AMCAS within 3-5 business days of your test. Check each school's specific deadline for PREview score receipt on their admissions page.

The exam consists of 30 scenarios presented in text format. Each scenario describes a professional situation involving medical students, residents, physicians, or allied health professionals. You are then presented with 4-5 response options and asked to rank them from most effective to least effective. The exam takes 75 minutes to complete. It is delivered online through the AAMC testing system.

The AAMC publishes official PREview practice questions through the AAMC store. These are the most authentic preparation resource since they are written by the same organisation and reflect the same scoring framework. Additionally, the AAMC publishes the Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students document — reading this carefully is the most substantive conceptual preparation you can do. The AAMC also provides a test tutorial and sample items on the PREview testing website.

Both assess professional readiness through situational judgment scenarios. PREview is multiple-choice (rank-ordering), AAMC-administered, and scored on a 1-9 scale — it aligns explicitly with AAMC Core Competencies and is transmitted via AMCAS. CASPer is open-ended typed text, third-party (Altus Assessments), and scored as quartiles — it is required by more MD programs and most DO programs. Many schools require one or the other; some require both. See /us/interviews/casper for the full CASPer guide.

Yes. You can retake PREview; however, schools will receive your most recent score from AMCAS. Before retaking, ensure your preparation has changed — use official AAMC practice questions, review the Core Competencies document thoroughly, and ensure you understand the rank-choice logic the AAMC uses to score responses.

No. PREview is one data point among many in holistic review. It does not replace the personal statement, secondary essays, letters of recommendation, clinical experiences, or interview performance. Schools use PREview as a supplementary signal — not a screen or a substitute for other components. A strong PREview score cannot compensate for a weak interview, and a lower PREview score does not automatically disqualify a strong holistic applicant.

Prepare for AAMC PREview with expert guidance

Sessions covering the AAMC Core Competencies framework, rank-ordering logic, and timed scenario practice.

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Reviewed by Isaac Butler-King, medical student at the University of Glasgow. Last reviewed: June 3, 2026